Distant Sunrise
by XxStargazingXxXWitchxX
Summary: Project X. Team Resonance had been working on it for decades, and now it'll finally be set in motion. A girl in this recently blacklisted organization finds herself thrust onto the frontlines once more after 5 years of working from the shadows, but this time... much more is at stake. In a web of lies and deceit, it's not easy to find the truth...
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, everyone! :D This fic is the result of a new idea I came up with while browsing through a couple other fanfics. My plotline is still a little shaky right now, but I really wanted to get this story started. ^^**

**Um… there isn't really too much to say at this point, I guess. xD I just hope that you'll enjoy the first chapter! :D**

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_Even when the darkness comes and takes us in its hold,_

_Even if the world will start to fall apart in cold..._

_We'll keep on fighting so we'll see that dawning of new light._

_(...Even if we never quite break through this endless night.)_

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Ch 1 : Preparations for Project X -Last Stage

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The crisp night air was freezing, freezing to the point that even a layer of frost covered the grass in the dark forest. Shadows flitted amongst the trees like ghosts, taunting those dry swirling leaves caught in the mercy of the wild winds. The wane light of the frail moon only served to mark a pale, desolate form, hovering alone in the cold heavens above.

_**[Prepare to enact phase one. Repeat: Prepare to enact phase one. Over.]**_

I brushed off one of the flying brown leaves from where it had caught in the furred hood of my black leather jacket, the sleek black glove on my hand not reflecting one bit of light in the eerie darkness. A few strands of scarlet hair blew out from under my hood, and I quickly tucked it back in.

We didn't need anything to would give away our position right now. We couldn't afford to blow our cover, not at this point.

My back pressed tightly to the rough bark of a tree, I twisted my neck and peered out at the research building below us again. Its location at the edge of a forest instead of being in one of the big cities would eventually become its undoing.

Never once taking my eyes off from the silvery building, I unhooked the walkie-talkie clipped to my waist and raised it to my lips.

"Orders have been received. Waiting for signal to begin. Over."

There was a brief spell of silence before it was broken by a static noise again.

_**[Epsilon Squad has initiated phase one. Over.]**_

"That means we're next," I muttered under my breath, turning back to face the others hiding amongst the forest foliage with me. Each of them was wearing black from head to toe, a terse look of concentration on their faces. There was a certain tension and nervousness in the air, mixed in with grim determination... the way it always was before an operation began.

"Delta Squad, masks on!" I ordered, and there was a sudden flurry of movement as each person took out a bony white mask and fixed it over their faces. It was almost like staring at a wave of ghosts, as only the white masks they wore stood out in the darkness...

I gave a small nod in satisfaction. I'd already put on my own mask a long time ago, which was outfitted with a little voice-distorting device -call me paranoid, but it never hurts to be too careful. Idly, I wondered what I must look like right now... a black-dressed figure with a white mask that had four fire-like obsidian swirls twirling across the milky surface.

It would've been quite a silly sight in broad daylight, I suppose. But under the cover of the night, and considering our current situation, it was perfect. Intimidation shrouded within mystery.

Casting a critical eye over my squad, I turned back towards the research building again. There were eight people total, and including me that would make nine -not too large of a number, but big enough that we shouldn't be held up by anything for too long.

I saw the light in the second window to the left of the building flicker dangerously.

"Delta Squad, get into position." I immediately started barking out orders, "Teleport, Shadow Sneak, I don't care; just get in there. What really matters now is that we cover the western section of Oldale Lab _completely_. Stick according to the posts I assigned you in the briefing. Don't let anyone pass you and get to the center of the Lab, y'hear?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good." I resisted the small impulse to smirk when I heard that. What would they do if they knew that their squad leader was a girl who was younger than all of them? It most certainly wouldn't do for the squad morale...

The light wavered dangerously once more before going out completely and becoming dark.

"Everyone, move out!"

There were a few blurs as people either Teleported with their psychic pokemon or used Shadow Sneak with ghost-types, heading off to complete their part of the mission. The last thing that really stood out to me was a crackled brown leaf, before I found myself standing in a darkened hall with well-polished walkways.

_"Soooo, what's the plan today, Trainer dear? Or should I say... tonight?"_

"Enthusiastic as ever, Altair," I used a moment to take in my surroundings before turning heel and jogging down the hallway, knowing my Misdreavus would follow me, "We're here to... liberate a few sensitive files."

_"Ohhhh, I like that word. __Liberate__," _The green-blue form of the ghost pokemon bobbed next to my head as he cackled, _"I think that 'steal' would fit here better, though."_

"Eh, same difference," I rolled my eyes, pausing when I reached the end of the corridor, "Now... left, or right?"

_"Pick right, pick right!"_ Altair's red eyes flashed playfully, _"Right is always right, Trainer dear."_

"... Okay, let's go left."

My Misdreavus pouted in my face, floating in front of me and trying to distract me so I'd trip as I ran down the left-hand path, _"What happened to the trust between us?"_He mock-wailed, widening his eyes to appear more pitiful.

"It's still there," I pointed out, snickering, "I will trust your sense of misdirection under any circumstances."

_"Tch,"_ Altair rolled his eyes, doing a backwards somersault in the air, _"I feel honored."_

There was a rumble and a scream somewhere to our right, and I quickened my footsteps. If the fighting was already getting this intensive, then that meant that the late-shift workers had somehow managed to call for reinforcements. I was going to have a word or two with the people that were supposed to cut off signals in this area when this was all over...

Almost as if sensing my change in mood, Altair shifted to a more serious mode as well, the playfulness in his demeanor disappearing.

_"Let's hurry this up, Trainer dear."_

"Yeah," I lengthened my strides, running up a flight of stairs skipping two steps at a time, "Okay... it's another left on the second floor, I think..."

Files. We needed those files.

"_Yes!_" I hissed, skidding to a stop in front of a normal-looking door. If it hadn't been for all the research and planning we did beforehand, no one would've ever guessed that this unsuspecting door led to the main computer system that stored all the data in Oldale Lab. "Altair, if you see anyone, get them with a good ol' Toxic. Stand guard for me, alright?"

_"Aye, aye, cap'n,"_My Misdreavus shot me a grin before vanishing into thin air. It was a nice trick, no one would see him coming until it was too late...

I grabbed another pokeball from my belt, aiming it in front of the computer, "Essie, let's go!"

A beam of red light shot into the screen, causing the monitor to fizzle for a moment before it returned to normal.

Essie gazed back at me from behind the screen, the Porygon-Z attentive and awaiting instructions.

"Listen, Essie, we need to finish this fast," I said in a rush, feeling small tremors run through the building again, "We're here to nab some files. It's titled 'Project X.' Most likely, it's been abandoned for quite awhile, but... we're not going to take any chances. Run through everything here and download those files, okay?"

Essie nodded, her head bobbing. It was a strange sight, since her head wasn't even connected to her body anymore, but who was I to complain about how pokemon looked?

She disappeared, and all the screens in the room flickered to life with red and blue swirls running across them hypnotically.

I tapped my fingers anxiously, biting my lip.

"_Umbre!_"

"Oh, _shit!_" I wasn't one prone to swearing, but that was the first thing that popped into my mind when I heard that yowl outside. Someone else was here. Someone else was at the door.

And that someone else had an _Umbreon_of all pokemon with them. Great. Just great. Dark-types had a type advantage over ghost-types...

"Nyx, get that Misdreavus with Dark Pulse, now!"

"Essie, get those files, and please try to hurry! I'm going outside to help Altair!" I slipped through the door just in time to see my Misdreavus slammed against the wall by a fierce stream of violet-tinged rings.

_"Ch... T-Trainer dear, there's a darkie with... with that one..."_Altair floated into the air unsteadily, the red beads around his neck glowing wildly.

"So you're that Misdreavus' trainer?" My attention turned to the raven-haired male with his Umbreon growling protectively at his side, "Thought it was trained from the way it attacked. What are you and your crazy masked lot doing here?!"

"I believe that is none of your concern," I said with a calmness I didn't feel. The voice-distorting device in my mask made it sound as if I was easily dismissing him, the warbled sound adding the faintest trace of a sinister tone.

In other words, it sounded like I was provoking him. Which, really, wasn't my intention. It wasn't like I wanted to stick around here and fight or anything...

His ice-blue eyes narrowed, "Oh, I believe it _is_my concern. This is my dad's lab you're messing around with!"

I shrugged, putting on an air on nonchalance despite the small surprise I felt at this little revelation. I filed away that tidbit of information for later, "Should I care about that?"

Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say. What was I supposed to do, anyways, come straight out and tell him that we were here to steal a top secret file?

"Nyx! Dark Pulse, one more time! C'mon, let's bring this bastard's Misdreavus down!"

… Bastard, am I?

"Double Team, and follow it up with Shadow Ball," I watched as the Umbreon shot off another black-violet wave of Dark Pulse. Altair dodged it easily with Double Team, five copies of himself weaving in and out of the spinning dark rings, before he suddenly vanished and appeared right in front of the Umbreon with an evil grin.

His Shadow Ball struck the Umbreon straight on.

"... A normal-type move for a ghost pokemon?" The Umbreon's trainer frowned briefly, brows creasing, but overall didn't seem too concerned. Ghost-types generally weren't very effective against dark-types no matter their move set, after all... "... Whatever. Nyx, use Bite!"

"Dodge it." My eyes tracked Altair as he ducked under the Umbreon when it jumped, trying to sink its canine teeth into him. He let out a small cackle when it tried following his motion and ended up doing a somersault before landing on the ground again, growling. "Will-O-Wisp, now!"

Small bursts of ghostly blue flames flared to life around the Misdreavus, who sent them all flying at the Umbreon from different angles. It was a little thing we had worked out between us, since we figured that it would be easier to dodge all of them if the attack only came from one direction.

"Steady, girl, you can dodge this! Use Quick Attack to dodge!"

I nodded slightly at his decision. Using Quick Attack to increase his Umbreon's speed so that it could dodge all the searing fireballs... that was a nice way to avoid Will-O-Wisp.

Not that it would help him here.

"We've got her now," I called up to Altair, "Hurry, while the Umbreon is still on Quick Attack! Shadow Sneak and show them how a real Dark Pulse is done!"

Altair vanished just as the Umbreon dodged the last fireball from Will-O-Wisp, popping up from its shadow with a leer on his face. The Umbreon still had too much momentum to stop at that point, despite her trainer's frantic orders for her to dodge, and Altair's Dark Pulse hit her point blank.

It was nothing like those twirling black discs the Umbreon had used earlier. Altair's Dark Pulse was a literal torrent of tightly compressed energy that burst out from his mouth, the violent beam of energy instantly overwhelming the dark pokemon and slamming it into the wall.

The battered Umbreon didn't get up again.

"Nyx!"

The kid ran over to his pokemon, completely ignoring the fact that his opponent was still standing here and had a free shot at his back. I guess he was still a relatively new trainer, then... well. He was lucky that he hadn't ran into Epsilon, in that case.

I turned back into the room, seeing Essie cock her head at me from the main computer screen. The red-blue swirls were gone from all the other computers.

"Yes, we won." I answered her unasked question, "Did you find it?"

She nodded, and I felt a sense of pride fill me. Finding that file amongst so many others in this short period of time... my Porygon-Z was a talented little one, indeed.

"Good job." I took out her pokeball and returned her, "... Let's go now, Altair. Is the kid gone yet?"

_"Mmhm. He returned his Umbreon and ran off. Probably to the Pokemon Center..."_

"Well." I minimized Essie's pokeball after tossing it with my palm, "We should be doing some running of our own now, too."

I grabbed the walkie-talkie on my hip and raised it to my mouth.

"Objective complete."

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_***["Breaking news! Breaking news! Somehow, Oldale Lab has been broken into last night. Luckily, the late-shift workers on duty were able to send a distress call for help, and trainers from the local Pokemon Center were able to come to their aid. There were no casualties, thankfully, though there was quite a lot of damage done to the research lab itself. Damage checks are being done right now, and police officers are currently investigating the scene. What can you tell us about it so far, Officer Jenny?"**_

_**"Well, first things first, it's obviously-]***_

The radio fell silent, and I removed my hand from it, yawning. Morning. Mornings were never my favorite time of the day. I guess you could say that I'm simply not a morning person, but really, it goes farther than just that.

Mornings were the time of nasty surprises.

"... So," I turned around, looking at my eleven year-old little brother sitting across from me, who stared back at me defiantly, "You're telling me that you want to go on a _pokemon journey?_"

The redhead scowled at me, golden eyes burning, "I'm not just telling you I _want_ to go, I'm telling you I _will _go! Mom and dad both agreed already, I'm just letting you know that I'll leave tomorrow!"

I spewed my coffee all over the table.

"Riga, try to be a little more refined," The tall blond woman coming out of the kitchen chided me gently, setting down a plate of toast on a part of the table that wasn't covered with coffee, "Clean up that mess, will you?"

I sputtered incoherently, my mind set awhirl at the possible implications my brother setting off on a goddamn _pokemon journey __now _of all times! With everything that was going on, with everything that was scheduled to happen soon...

"Personally, I think you're overreacting a little," The homely woman patted me on the head while I sat there like a statue. My brother rolled his eyes at me and started buttering a slice of toast, "There's nothing wrong with kids his age setting out on a pokemon journey now, is there?"

"It builds character and teaches valuable life lessons," A blue-haired man added as he sat down next to my brother at the table, "... What is this thing on the table, honey?"

"Riga was just a little surprised that Ryll is going to set off on his journey tomorrow," The woman smiled, not so discreetly passing me a towel. I started wiping off the coffee automatically, my mind still abuzz, "It's a wonderful thing that they care for each other, isn't it?"

"M-Marie, it's dangerous!" I finally found my voice again, protesting weakly against my enthusiastic foster parents, "H-How... how can you and Harold let Ryll-"

"Sis, I'm not a kid anymore!" Ryll grumbled, finally shooting me a dirty look from under the bangs of his red hair, "I can take care of myself. Besides, don't you train pokemon yourself?"

"It... it's different," I shot him a look that said '_shut up'_ and he returned one that said _'make me'_, "When I started, things weren't this... messy."

"Oh, you mean that weird group that just got on the bad side of the police... Resident or something, right?" My adoptive father nodded understandingly, "They aren't really causing much trouble yet. It's just like those Team Aqua and Team Magma punks all over again, except it's much more mild this time. It'll die down, and everything will be fine again, trust me."

They didn't know. They didn't know that Team Aqua and Team Magma had tried to capture legendary pokemon. They didn't know that what we were doing was shaping up to be a hundred times more dangerous than that...

"It's _Resonance_, Harold," I put my face into my hands, "And thing is, they-"

_Ding dong. _

"I'll go get that," Ryll got up from the table, no doubt wanting to get away from this conversation.

I sighed, wanting to bang my head against the table. I really, really, _couldn't_, in good conscience, throw my little brother out into Hoenn as it was right now. At least while he was at home I could still watch over him, and keep him safe to some extent... if he left on a journey...

…

"Oi, sis! It's your boyfriend!"

"_What?_" I leaped up from the table, eyes widening, "My... _my what?_"

"Oh," Marie blinked, her pretty gray eyes looking pleasantly surprised, "You have a boyfriend, Riga? I know your job takes you away from home a lot, but you should keep us up to date on things like this..."

"I don't have a boyfriend!" I insisted, marching over to the door, "Ryll, what in the world are you trying to pull on-"

I froze mid-sentence when I reached the doorway and saw just who was standing there.

"… See?" Ryll looked back at me smugly, "He _is_your boyfriend, isn't he?"

"Shut up," I hissed at him, and he stuck his tongue out at me. Coughing into my hand, I valiantly tried to regain my composure in front of the unexpected visitor, "... Ace. It's… a real _pleasure_to see you."

He nodded at me, emerald eyes closing for a moment as he acknowledged the not-so-subtle dig at him for arriving here unannounced. I thought I'd made it perfectly clear years ago that I didn't want him anywhere near my 'other life.'

… Namely, my little brother.

"Hello, Riga." A small breeze ruffled his wild brown hair, and I brushed a few strands of scarlet hair out of my face as the wind decided to turn its attention on me as well.

… Ace. On the surface, he was a fairly talented trainer who had competed in the Hoenn League a few times, although he never made it to the finals. Looking at his record, nobody would've ever guessed that he was a key figure in Resonance. Ace Valquira, codename Gamma, the leader of Gamma Squad.

If he came here... it didn't bode well.

He must've seen the look on my face, because he sighed and jammed his hands into the pockets of his semi-formal black shirt, "I'm afraid that I _am_ here for business today. May I come inside?"

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Ch 1 : End

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… **So, how was it? Any thoughts? ^^ Yes, I know I pretty much suck at poetry, but I couldn't resist trying to add that little tidbit in the beginning. :D Think of it as a little foreshadowing of what will happen later on in the story. ;) Please let me know if something doesn't make sense here. .**

**Constructive criticism is welcomed with open arms and reviews are appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I really appreciate the feedback I got for the first chapter! ^^ Thanks a lot to the people who reviewed, your comments help me get a feel for what impression the story leaves so far. That being said, there's no action in this chapter –mostly explanations and setting out the general direction this fic will go in. I'm sorry if things are a little vague or don't make sense, because I **_**want**_** to let some things show through here –while at the same time, there are some other things I want to keep a secret for now. xD**

**So… please read on and tell me what you think! :D**

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Ch 2 : Preparations Are Now Complete. Begin Phase 01

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"... So _he _is your boyfriend?"

I groaned, shooting my little brother a withering look. _This is all your fault._

He looked away and whistled breezily, the perfect picture of innocence, though I could see that smirk working its way onto his lips...

I swear, eleven year-olds are evil.

"I told you, I _don't_ have a boyfriend!" I made sure to stress the word so Harold and Marie would get the message. I don't think they believed me, though, no matter how vehemently I denied having a relationship with _Ace _of all people...

Marie smiled brightly at Ace, who was standing a little off to the side. He offered back a little smile of his own politely when he saw hers.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" She tactfully switched the subject, "You can eat with us if you'd like. We'd like to know a bit more about you and Riga..." Or not.

"Thank you, but I've already eaten," Ace's emerald eyes flickered to me for a brief moment before they turned back to my foster parents, "There were some... sensitive things that came up a little late at work last night, so I would appreciate the chance to discuss it properly with Riga."

Sensitive things, implying that he wanted to talk privately about it.

"Oh... but-"

"Marie, it's alright. I'll eat breakfast later," I quickly interrupted, before turning to Ace and jerking my head in the direction of the staircase, "Upstairs, now. We'll talk about it in my room."

"In your _room?_"

I froze at Harold's suspicious tone, belatedly realizing that my words didn't come out quite the way I'd intended for them to.

Ace interjected at this point with a small cough, "Sir, I assure you that we're only... colleagues. Nothing more."

"Right," There was still a dubious look in Harold's eyes as he leveled a suspicious gaze on him, "Only colleagues. Uh-huh."

"… C'mon," I grumbled under my breath, grabbing Ace and shoving him up the stairs before the situation could continue to degenerate and spiral out of control. If my foster parents were going to try to give me a 'Talk' about this entire thing afterwards...

... No. I don't even want to _think _about it.

"Nice place," He remarked when he stepped into my room. I brought the door shut behind me as I came in after him.

"What is it this time?" I ignored his comment, sitting down on my bed and gesturing for him to take a seat in the only chair in my room, "… It's important, isn't it?"

He was silent for a moment, almost as if he were carefully putting together the exact phrasing of his next words, "That file your squad got last night with Epsilon Squad... the team that's been working on decoding it has already got the main gist of what's recorded in there, so we've confirmed the location and date now. It's going to be at Ever Grande City on December 31."

"Ever Grande City, huh...?" I mused thoughtfully, then frowned, "It doesn't even make _sense _for the location to be set there... Besides, isn't December 31 scheduled to be the last day when the Ever Grande Conference is taking place this year?"

Ace nodded, "Yes, and so taking into consideration all the trainers that are going to be gathered in Ever Grande then... there's been a slight change in the original plans."

I arched an eyebrow and waited for him to elaborate.

"Now that we know it has to be in Ever Grande, we absolutely _cannot _risk being discovered before it's time," He leaned back in the chair, eyes grave, "We have approximately six months starting from now. Most of Team Resonance will begin infiltrating the staff there, or start making preparations to get seats as spectators for the Conference. We won't raise any unwanted attention if we take this slowly."

"... That plan sounds fine," I propped up my elbows on my knees, fingers lacing together under my chin.

"We're also going to have some members competing in the Ever Grande Conference," Ace continued, "That way, when we begin the final operation, they're going to be in the perfect position to give the signals, and they're going to have their pokemon already out and good for battle."

"I see," I kept my response short, "So who are the people competing?"

"Epsilon will be going," Ace paused for a moment, "I think he's also going to select two people from his squad. I'm going, as well. And... it's been decided that _you _are going to be the final participant."

I froze.

"... _What?_"

Ace shrugged deliberately, his voice taking on a false-casual tone, "Other than the fact that you haven't challenged the Hoenn Gym Circuit yet, I don't see a problem with it... oh, and your pokemon team, I suppose. You never did replace those two pokemon you lost five years ago, did you?"

My eyes narrowed at the calm figure sitting sedately on the chair, so... so _bluntly _bringing up Opal and Fabian when he knew-!

"What the hell are you playing at, Ace?" I hissed, giving him a tight glare with my violet eyes.

He held up both hands in a surrendering 'peace' gesture, his voice going back to normal, "My point is... You having an incomplete team didn't really matter while we were still in the research and intel-gathering phase of our plans, but all that is _over _now. We're gearing up for battle... and you, lacking two pokemon on your team, will only serve to drag us down when the fighting starts. We can't have that."

"So by shoving me into the Ever Grande Conference, you're essentially forcing me to complete my team… Is that right?" I laughed emptily, hollowly, "... Five years, Ace..."

"You've completed the Johto Gym Circuit before. Hoenn's Gyms shouldn't be too much of a challenge for you." He stood up from the chair, having finished relaying the orders and clearly deciding that he would take his leave, "... You've delayed this for far too long, Riga."

"I don't see why you would care about it," I said bitterly, "... But… no. It was _you_, wasn't it? You, Alpha, and Beta are the ones who call the shots in Team Resonance... and Beta hates me. There's no way I would've been assigned to competing in the Ever Grande Conference unless you advocated for me in front of Alpha. Why?"

For a moment, I thought he wasn't going to respond. He just continued walking across my room until he reached the door, but he finally paused just as his hand stretched out and his fingertips brushed against the doorknob

"... I promised _him _that I'd take care of you in his place," His words were a mere quiet whisper, so faint that I barely caught his words, "There's an inevitable battle coming up ahead... one I can't guarantee you'll be safe in. Six pokemon will definitely go a long way in keeping you alive."

The door opened and closed, and then he was gone.

…

I let out a heavy sigh and sank down onto my bed, feeling completely and utterly drained. 'Him'... I had a pretty good idea of who Ace had been referring to when he mentioned a promise. I wouldn't be surprised about it if it really _was _'him', though...

Oh, Arceus.

Five years ago... everything had went wrong five years ago. But we could fix it now, right? After five years of research, of breaking into restricted files and forbidden databases... we finally had the _correct _place and time. We could finally carry out our mission, come December 31 in Ever Grande City...

… Project X...

My attention snapped to the door when it creaked opened again.

"Riga?" … Oh. It was Marie. I blinked, watching as she came in, a concerned look etched onto her face, "Did something... happen?"

"Did something...? No. No, nothing happened," I started gathering my wits about myself again, shaking my head, "It's just a new assignment I got. I... won't be back here for awhile."

Challenge the Hoenn Gym Circuit to sign up for the Ever Grande Conference. Train two more pokemon. Begin preparations for the final stage of Project X.

…

Yup, there was a crapload of stuff to do, and only six months to stuff it all in. I doubted that I would be let off my duties as Delta just because I'd have to run around Hoenn challenging Gym Leaders...

… Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon. Alpha was the leader of Team Resonance, with Beta directly below him, acting as his lieutenant. Gamma -Ace- held considerable influence within Team Resonance, and I ranked right after him. Epsilon came last in the 'upper tier' of Team Resonance's chain of command.

It might seem a little messy, but it's actually relatively simple. There are twenty-four squads in Team Resonance, each with a squad leader codenamed Alpha to Omega. Although, Alpha's squad consists of only four people -Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon. The squad leaders of the top four squads.

All of the squads were ranked according to power, with Omega being the weakest and Alpha the strongest. Within each squad, the strongest person was given the position of squad leader. If you wanted to move up into a better squad, you had to prove yourself by fighting a member of that squad. In the event that you won, then you got to replace them in their squad while they had to move down into yours.

Challenges were only allowed to be issued once every three months to prevent the squads from being constantly scrambled up.

… But, really… none of that was even relevant right now. The orders came from Alpha himself, and had been delivered to me by Gamma, Ace. There was absolutely no backing out of this new mission...

"-and tell me if you ever need any more advice on relationships, alright? Most girls take their first break-ups quite hard, I'll understand if you need an ear to listen to you."

… _What__?_

I was utterly mystified for a moment until I remembered that she thought Ace was… _ahem_, that the two of us were dating. Which was _completely_ untrue.

I sighed, not even bothering to fight against her blind assumptions anymore, as she would just take my reactions for denial, for putting up a strong front… Instead, I decided to just tell her the results of my little 'conversation' with Ace mere moments ago, "I'm going to sign up for the Ever Grande Conference this year, Marie."

Silence.

"... What?" I could understand her shock, I suppose. It _was _a rather sudden declaration, and quite out of the blue, too...

I watched her intently.

Harold and Marie were decent folks, something I was extremely grateful for –they were the ones who took care of Ryll everyday while I was off working, they were the ones who practically _raised _him.

After all, Ryll had only been five years old when I brought him to Hoenn with me.

… While Ryll had warmed up to Harold and Marie quickly enough, calling them 'Dad' and 'Mom' respectively… I had found myself unable to do the same. I mean, I knew that they were good people, but I just... couldn't do it. They never pushed me, though Marie had mentioned more than once to me that it would be alright for me to address them the same way Ryll did.

I never told them about anything that went on in my life -really, involve them with Team Resonance? So maybe that was why I always kept a little distance between us. Maybe that was why she's so shocked that I told her that I was going to register for the Ever Grande Conference.

(Truth be told, I'm a little surprised at myself for telling her, too.)

"That... that's..." For once, Marie seemed to be at a loss for words, her mouth opening and closing without forming a single coherent sentence.

I smiled wryly, deciding to just get everything over with now, "I've never told you or Harold this before, but... when Ryll and I still lived in Johto... I was an active pokemon trainer, one that completed Johto's Gym Circuit."

Marie gaped at me.

"This probably isn't the best time to go around collecting badges, considering that... that Ryll is going to start his journey." I abruptly changed my line of thought before I said too much. Ryll. He'd think that I wanted to watch over him all the time, which would be 'embarrassing.' Much as I wanted him to just stay put at home, safe and sound... there's no way Ryll would settle for that. Besides… if he had pokemon of his own, then he'd be able to protect himself if something bad happened... "It can't be helped, though. I'll just try to keep to myself and reign in the overprotective tendencies, eh?"

The light teasing in my tone seemed to snap Marie out of her shock, and she looked at me with a new light in her eyes, starting to-

Then she paused.

"Would this sudden decision of yours have anything to do with that young man just now?"

… Great. So how should I go about answering this question…?

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_"Trainer dear, what are you calling us all out for?"_

Standing in the backyard, I ran my eyes over the team -Altair, my Misdreavus, floating in the air and cocking his head at me. Essie, a Porygon-Z that was currently sitting in the grass and giving me a confused look because she couldn't find any computers to dive into. I felt a small pang of guilt at this, since it had been so long since I called her _not_for missions...

Rose, short for Rosapina, whickered softly at my side and moved her head forward to nuzzle me, sensing that something was a little bit off today. The crimson flames of the Rapidash's mane licked softly at my skin, providing a comforting sense of warmth that I readily welcomed.

… Then there was Lachi.

My Hitmontop was merrily spinning away in the yard, relishing the opportunity to have _fun_ and _relax,_rather than than be all wound-up, twitchy and on guard for sensitive missions...

"Hit! Hitmontop!" He called happily, spinning over to Essie and trying to get her to play with him.

Essie shot me a bewildered look that was all the more pronounced due to the black swirls in her bright yellow eyes.

"Okay, guys," I clapped my hands together to get their attention. Lachi stubbornly spun a few more circles before he hopped to his feet again, grinning at me. "I... I need to talk to you guys about something."

I could practically _feel_that lighthearted mood in the air shrivel up as soon as those words left my mouth.

_"... What is it, Trainer dear?"_Altair drifted a little closer to me.

My throat suddenly felt raw and dry, "We... we're going to join the Ever Grande Conference this year, so… we need to... to get two more members on our team."

The very words felt like a _betrayal _in and of itself; no one could ever replace sweet little Opal or lackadaisical Fabian-

_"… Oh."_

"'Oh?'" I repeated in disbelief, not quite understanding-

_"Trainer dear, we miss Opal and Fabian, too. But do you think they would want you to tear yourself apart over them?"_ Altair turned upside-down, _"… and just in case you're wondering, the answer is 'no.'"_

"But-"

Rose bumped me gently, silently giving her support. Essie floated over onto my shoulder, while Lachi nodded vigorously to Altair's words.

My throat clogged up.

"Guys..." I choked out, "If... if only I was... a little faster, or... if I noticed...!"

_"Don't blame yourself for everything. No one is perfect, Trainer dear. Move on."_ Altair flipped upright again, _"… Okay, pep talk over! What's the plan now, Trainer dear?"_

What's the plan, huh...?

I reached up a hand and scrubbed away the water that had somehow appeared in my eyes without my notice, "We... we're going to..."

Altair rolled his eyes, before he too came over, plopping himself down on top of my head. The greenish-blue of his body must've made for a sharp contrast against my scarlet hair, and the ice-cold sensation on my scalp felt a little weird... but that didn't stop me from feeling all fuzzy and warm inside, cheesy as it sounds.

_Opal. Fabian. I'll always, always remember you guys._

"Rustboro City," I croaked out, "It's… it's the closest. We're heading to Rustboro first."

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Ch 2 : End

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**Responses:**

**Akeyaranu: … Yeah, I realize that Riga's personality might've had a little 'switch' in the first chapter… which I **_**kind of **_**wanted since she was on a mission and all, but not too much that it would be a far stretch for her right now. Sorry if it felt really awkward! " **

**OpenDoorLeia: Hahaha, I know that sometimes I get a tendency to ramble on and on with my description stuff, which can get a little lengthy –I usually have to rewrite my sentences a lot of times so they don't sound like run-ons. xD And even then, there are some run-on sentences scattered here and there… :/ Thanks for pointing that out, though, I'll definitely try to work on it! ^^**

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**Please let me know if things are too rushed in this chapter, and feel free to point out any mistakes you see! I don't know if I'm pushing things a little, what with everything I'm stuffing into this chapter, so I'd like some feedback on how you feel about that. ^^ I'll be grateful for any constructive criticism heading this way~**


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